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A father and his disabled son who lived in a rat-infested bus outside of Blarney found a safe place to call home.
The local community came together to help Adrian and Patrick Walsh get off the bus before winter, and thanks to the generosity of the public, this week they will be moving into a high-quality mobile home with plumbing and electricity.
Patrick said he and Adrian are “delighted” with their new home and no longer live in fear of the freezing winter.
Kate Durant, who has been volunteering to help the Walshes along with Declan O’Connell of St Vincent de Paul and social worker Marianne Walsh, said securing a home for them has been a community effort.
“We created a Go Fund Me page that raised around € 2,000 and Saint Vincent de Paul donated another € 2,000, but we still lacked money to secure immediate accommodation for them.
“Once the Walshs are in that mobile home, we know they won’t die on that bus this winter.”
A kind donor paid off the debt Adrian owed to Cork City Council after reading his story on the Irish Examiner so that the two men could be reinstated to the public housing list as they could not be considered for a house while Adrian was in arrears.
Other people generously offered houses for Patrick and Adrian to move in, but they were too remote for the family, who needs to be close to their support network and be able to travel for frequent hospital appointments.
Adrian suffered a major brain injury when he fell off a bridge in Wales about three years ago.
His brain injury causes him to suddenly pass out and has severely damaged his memory, requiring almost constant care.
Patrick became her sole caregiver when Adrian’s mother died this year.
They have been living in the old bus, listening to rats running under their bed at night, bathing in the frozen river, and using a bucket in a shed as a toilet.
But this week, their nightmare will hopefully end when they move to a warm and safe place for now while they wait in hopes of eventually securing a council house.
Local Clerks John Sheehan and Damian Boylan, who worked with the campaign, have arranged for the mobile home to be moved to the Blarney site where the Walshs currently live, through Willie O’Brien, who agreed to resign from the transportation position. € 800 for the family.
Ms. Durant said they still have to pay for the mobile home to go online and they must buy a generator to ensure the electricity supply. To donate to help fund these latest family essentials, go to their fundraising event here.
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